


Liquidity

by threewalls



Category: Yami No Matsuei
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Coercion, Food, Kinks, M/M, Negotiations, Prostitution, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2008-06-19
Updated: 2008-06-19
Packaged: 2017-10-15 07:32:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/158511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/threewalls/pseuds/threewalls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <cite>If Watari refuses, Tatsumi can't think who else he can ask.</cite>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Liquidity

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place post-Kyoto/Vol. 9 of the manga, ignoring Kamakura/Gensoukai.
> 
> Written with thanks to lynndyre for the original idea. Her mind is an amazing place.

Tatsumi is fussy in the kitchen, like he always is when he's cooking for guests. But Watari's never been the only one, never felt free to just lean back against the kitchen counter, to sip from his wineglass and admire Tatsumi in pressed slacks and a collared-shirt, topped by three open buttons instead of a tie. They drink Tatsumi's open bottle of Australian red while the _Bœuf bourguignon_ finishes simmering, and the bottle of Californian Sauvignon Blanc that Watari brought with him while they eat. Tatsumi makes one pointed comment about striving to match wine and meat, and Watari about Tatsumi's week-long insistence that his menu required an aura of mystery, but they're really just excuses to keep topping up each other's glasses.

It's a relief just to be able to talk to Tatsumi after a week of nothing but cryptic postscripts to office emails. They haven't made eye contact at meetings, and Watari spent Tuesday through Thursday in down-town Osaka chasing after some poor girl's ex-boyfriend (ex- as his heart stopped Sunday night) before he convinced her to jump off a highrise with him. Much like the side project that prompted it, tonight is either a good idea, or a very, very bad one.

Watari makes an noise of delight when Tatsumi takes an Amaretto and Kahlua-soaked creamy Tiramisu out of the fridge for dessert. He's had this before, some other office party, where Tatsumi was too cheap to pay for catering when he could do it himself. He pretends not to notice that Tatsumi makes their coffees from a kettle and a jar, and they eat the Tiramisu with spoons directly from the dish.

\---

Much Earlier:

Watari taps a packet of sugar against the side of his cup, once, twice, before neatly ripping along the length, lifting up the drip-filter coffee funnel and pouring the contents into his cup. Then, he reaches across the table to take up one of the packets lying on Tatsumi's saucer. He taps it against the side of his cup.

Tatsumi's own teacup, teapot, is empty. He feels both hyper-aware and tired, a weariness of the mind lingering after his preternatural body has reconciled his body's recent overextension. If Watari refuses, Tatsumi can't think who else he can ask. As crocodile tears have never proved effective on Watari, Tatsumi had hoped taking him to a Kyoto coffeehouse would remind Watari of the current seriousness of the department's financial plight.

Watari lifts aside the filter, stirs his coffee. "If I volunteer, I get more money for research and development."

Apparently not.

The past months have proved that Tatsumi's (secret) emergency line of credit with the Earl of the Castle of Candles still stands ready, but their department's deficit is too steep for that to be sufficient, compounded monthly by their expenses. What he would pay for one, that man had said, he would pay double, treble for two. Tatsumi had negotiated him to a pay-scale ranking certain activities.

"Funding to the value you received before Tsuzuki-san's -- accident, or 30% of what that man pays us, whichever is less."

Watari hums, and drinks. "So, what did you do for the Earl?"

Tatsumi renews his most congenial, most practiced smile, and repeats what he told Watari earlier: the Earl likes to watch someone perform.

"No, Tatsumi-- what did you do? That was some pretty specialised equipment we found looking for his mask last month. Before I say yes, I want to know exactly what I'm getting into."


End file.
